Open House/CCCAC

CCCAC holding Open House

October 25, 2012

HANCOCK - A venture 13 years in the making and a celebration of 20 years in existence are on the docket for the Copper Country Community Arts Center's Open House from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday.

The CCCAC will be launching its Letterpress and Book Arts Studio at the open house, bringing to fruition a process started in 1999 when a letterpress was donated to the CCCAC.

"We just started in the last year to get some training," said CCCAC Executive Director Cynthia Cote. "We started working on our knowledge of the machine and how to use it."

CCCAC Assistant Director Bonnie Loukus will give a presentation on the letterpress at 7 p.m., which will be followed by a demonstration by Dan Schneider. The studio and letterpress are meant to bring the past and present together, according to Cote.

"It's intended to bridge generations of printers and technology as well," Cote said. "The craft of handset type is still alive, and there are people across the country working to keep that craft alive and get it noticed as a fine art."

Prior to the open house, the CCCAC will be holding discussion groups as the center plans for its future. The topic areas include Fundraising and Friend-raising, Fostering a Sense of Community, Education and Outreach, Visual Identity and Building Care and Facility Use.

"We have different categories of areas that we really want to invite our constituents to give their input and assistance," Cote said. "We're a small staff and board, and there's so much that we want to do. We really want members (of the CCCAC) and members of the community to feel some ownership in the arts center and offer some expertise."

The Open House is also a launch to the CCCAC's celebration of its 20th year in December. Cote is impressed with how far the arts center has come over the past two decades.

"We feel really proud of the fact we've been able to move with the changes," Cote said. "When we opened, for many years people thought of us just as a pilot project."

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served, and those interested in attending the discussion groups are asked to RSVP to 483-2333.